


Convinced

by jeeno2



Series: Short Stories From the Vortex [7]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Huddling For Warmth, Kissing, Sharing a Bed, Tropes, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-04-17 16:44:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4674029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeeno2/pseuds/jeeno2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor and Rose are forced to camp outdoors in order to win over an alien government.  But it's freezing outside and the tent they brought is way too small.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Convinced

**Author's Note:**

> This bit of tropey fluff was written on tumblr a few months ago in response to a prompt from anidlebrain: "I can't believe you talked me into this."

Rose shivers as she rubs at her arms, impatient for the jacket the Doctor gave her earlier to start doing its bloody job and warm her up.

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” she mumbles, teeth chattering.  “It’s  _freezin’_  out here.  And I don’t know how this” – she gestures between the two of them; at their little tent; at their feeble campfire – “will convince the Poosh government we’re on their side.”

The Doctor runs the fingers of one hand through his already-wrecked hair in agitation, keeping a tight hold on her own hand with the other.  

“I’m sorry,” he says, looking and sounding incredibly distracted.  “But… but there just isn’t any other way.  The Poosh don’t believe in sleeping indoors.   They won’t trust us unless we camp out here tonight.”  

He drops her hand, then, and jumps to his feet.  A moment later he’s pacing their forest enclosure the way he does whenever he’s wracking his brain for a solution to a difficult problem.

“I had no idea temperatures on Poosh dropped so precipitously after nightfall,” he continues, still pacing.  “Thinking back on it now, I  _should_  have known.  Of course I should have.  But I really and truly didn’t know.  If I’d known I’d have… well…”  He trails off and stops pacing.  

“You would have what?”

“I… erm.  Would have encouraged you to put on a coat before we left the TARDIS.  Or at least a warmer jumper.”

Rose sniffles a little.  She wills her body to stop shivering, though she knows it’s pointless.    

“We’ll be back on the TARDIS soon, though.  First thing tomorrow morning.“ He sits next to her on the ground and gives her what she knows he means as a reassuring smile.  But it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.  “How about I make us some hot cocoa in the meantime, hmm?  It’ll warm you up.”

* * *

 

The tent they brought on this excursion – the only tent on board the TARDIS, apparently – is much smaller than the one she and Mum used to take along on their annual trips to the seaside.  

One quick peek inside tells Rose it’s no bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, much to her surprise. In truth the inside is quite tiny, with hardly enough space for one person to lie down, let alone two. 

And then, all at once, Rose suddenly understands exactly why the Doctor has looked about to jump out of his skin ever since setting up camp.  

It’s not that they’ve never slept near each other before.  Because they have, on occasion.  In prison cells usually.  Once in a very posh hotel room.  But they’ve only very rarely shared the same bed while sleeping, and they’ve  _never_  slept in such close proximity to one another before.

It’s far too cold tonight for either of them to sleep outside of the warmth this tent provides.  And they won’t both fit without snuggling up together like a pair of spoons.

The thought of the Doctor’s long, fit body curled around hers all night long makes Rose dizzy with a rush of nerves and adrenaline.

“Erm,” the Doctor says, interrupting her train of thought.  She turns around and sees him standing right behind her, looking very much like he wants the ground to swallow him whole.  

“Erm,” Rose agrees.  To her dismay, she can feel the beginnings of a hot flush rising on her cheeks. 

“You… you take it, Rose,” the Doctor stammers.  “The…. um.  The tent, that is.  I’ll… er.  I’ll be fine.  Sleeping out here.”  He gestures vaguely to the ground, which is now covered with what appears to be a fine layer of icy frost.    

“Don’t be daft, Doctor,“ Rose says as forcefully as she can, hoping her face isn’t turning bright red, willing her voice to be steady.  “We’ll sleep in the tent tonight.  Both of us.”

“Rose,” the Doctor says.  His voice sounds strangled.  “Look.  You don’t have to –”

“I want to, Doctor,” she insists.  If he only knew how  _much_  she wanted to.  “Can’t bear the thought of you sleepin’ out here on the cold hard ground.”  

At her words something inside the Doctor seems to crumble.  His shoulders slump forward and he closes his eyes, shaking his head slowly as if to clear it.

“All right,” he says on a sigh.  His eyes are still closed.  “Go on inside.  I’ll join you in a moment.”

* * *

 

The Doctor rises before dawn the next morning.  This is nothing new for him, but it’s way too early for Rose to wake up after the long day they had yesterday.

If this were a normal morning the Doctor would hop out of bed, put on his clothes, and then putter around the console room while the TARDIS put a kettle on. But there’s absolutely nothing normal about either this morning or this situation.  Rose Tyler – his best friend and companion; the beautiful girl he’s loved since before he really knew what this sort of love was – is sleeping next to him right now,  _against_  him really, the whole length of her warm, soft body pressed up against his front, her sweet-smelling hair on their shared pillow, their feet all tangled up together in the blankets.  

And he’s reeling.

His first thought when she insisted he sleep inside the tent with her was that she was only being the kind, thoughtful Rose she always is to everyone.  But the way she burrowed into him all night, her body seeking both warmth and comfort from his, makes him think Rose really didn’t mind sharing this tiny sleeping space after all.  That maybe she actually wanted to share it with him.  That she may have wanted it as badly as he did. 

Every synapse in the Doctor’s body is alive and firing at the thought that even if it hadn’t been bitterly cold outside last night Rose might still have wanted to be with him like this.  Even if he wanted to go back to sleep right now it’s a totally lost cause.  

Carefully, so he doesn’t wake her, the Doctor cranes his neck a little and looks down at her face.  He loves watching Rose sleep.  Always has.  She looks so relaxed and lovely now, in here with him, the weak early morning light bathing her face in an ethereal glow.  Her full lips are slightly parted and her hair is fanned out against his arm, tickling it a little.   

The Doctor doesn’t think he’s ever seen anything more beautiful than Rose Tyler is in this moment.

Almost without realizing he’s doing it, he reaches down with his fingertips and gently brushes the side of her cheek.  She shifts a little, mumbling something he can’t quite understand and settling even closer to him. In doing so, her leg, already entwined with one of his, unconsciously rubs up against him.  She leaves her leg there and presses into him, sighing against his neck.  

The feeling of her sleepy breath on the sensitive skin of his throat, of her thigh against his growing hardness, is intoxicating – otherworldly – and he groans aloud without meaning to as the last shred of self-control he might have once had in regards to Rose Tyler crumbles into dust.

“Rose,” he whispers hoarsely, urgently, shaking her a little.  He needs her to wake up.  He needs  _her_.  “Rose.”

Her eyes open and come into focus very slowly.  At length, she smiles broadly at him.  She wets her lips with her tongue.

“Good morning, Doctor,” she breathes, the words more puffs of air against his mouth than anything else, and he’s lost.

* * *

 

When several hours later the Doctor finally pulls back from her, breathing heavily, pupils still blown wide with desire and lips plump from kissing her, Rose grins up at him.

“I’m all warm now, Doctor,” she admits softly.  Giggling, she reaches up to caress his stubbled cheek and he leans into her touch, sighing,  _at last_.

They agree that their lunchtime meeting with the Poosh delegation can wait.

 


End file.
